Background

UNDP is the UN Development Programme and works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.

Strongly committed to the 2030 Agenda and the principles of leaving no one behind, UNDP targets the most vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities (PwD) in its interventions.  As articulated in the Strategic Plan for 2018-2021, UNDP strives to address the fundamental development challenges through multisectoral, integrated solutions for the provision of adequate employment and incomes for vulnerable populations, addressing structural barriers and providing basic social protection and effective services and infrastructure, particularly for people with disabilities (PwD). This also requires establishing and maintaining inclusive, responsive and accountable governance at national and local levels, which requires ensuring the inclusion of women, youth, people with disabilities and other traditionally marginalized groups.  The UNDP Disability Guidance Note provides guidance on how to include disability in the various areas of UNDP programming and operations. UNDP also hosts the Secretariat of the UN Partnership of the Rights of Peoples with Disabilities (UNPRPD) within the Governance Team, BPPS, and from June 2020 will assume the rotational Chair of the Partnership.

In June 2019, the Secretary-General launched the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) to create a basis for a lasting change in disability inclusion across the work of the UN system. It includes a policy and accountability framework to strengthen system-wide accessibility and mainstreaming of the rights of persons with disabilities across the Organization’s operations. The implementation of the Strategy creates an important opportunity for UNDP to strengthen existing efforts and integrate the rights of persons with disabilities through all development work and boost international partnership building around inclusive development, ensuring stronger commitment and action to “leave no-one behind”.

UNDP is looking for a consultant to provide policy and programmatic support on disability inclusion. The consultant will function as the focal point for disability inclusion for BPPS, the UNDP liaison with the UNPRPD Secretariat, and will work closely with the Bureau of Management Services (BMS) and focal points in other bureaux to support and coordinate the implementation and reporting of the UNDIS.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Provide policy and programmatic support on disability inclusion.

   • Working with global and regional teams, support the provision of high-quality advice to UNDP country offices on disability inclusion.

   • Prepare written contributions and knowledge products for various purposes, i.e. case studies, speeches, briefings to leadership, and related products for wider dissemination, as needed.

   • Support resource mobilization in the area of disability inclusion by developing funding proposals and other documents, where appropriate.

   • Conduct research and analysis of global, regional and national trends, as appropriate

2. Promote partnership and collaborations with UN entities and other relevant stakeholders

   • Liaise with internal and external stakeholders, such as other UN Entities, UNPRPD and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs or DPOs), development partners, and donors, to engage and support initiatives in the Conference of States Parties (COSP) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), International Day of Persons with Disabilities, etc.

   • Contribute to knowledge sharing across UN agencies, as well as with internal and external key stakeholders.

   • Support managers in fulfilling UNDP’s role as Chair of the UNPRPD, acting as primary UNDP interlocutor with the Secretariat on a day-to-day basis.

3. Working with BMS, facilitate the implementation of UNDIS across UNDP in a coherent, clear and systematic manner.

   • Coordinate a focal point network across bureaus to ensure a systematic approach to the work on disability inclusion across the organization;

   • Provide technical support to the programmatic and policy implementation of the UNDIS, including contributions to different thematic areas, country strategies and knowledge management.

   • Develop a remedial plan of action (in coordination with the focal point network) to address gaps across the organization in the areas of policy and programming.

4. Working with BMS, support and consolidate UNDP’s reporting of the UNDIS,

   • Represent UNDP from a policy and programme perspective in the regular UNDIS focal point network meetings and liaise with key stakeholders and partners.

   • Reactivate and coordinate a focal point network across UNDP with representatives of all bureaus and relevant thematic areas.

   • Coordinate participation across the organization in a systematic analysis of UNDP’s progress on the UNDIS 15 indicators, as well as identify key areas of improvement and communicate this to senior management.

   • Support and coordinate an effective data-collection on disability inclusion across the organization and embedding reporting in existing systems, as appropriate.

5. Support internal and external communications, and resource mobilisation.

Competencies

Core

Innovation

Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

Ability to persuade others to follow

People Management

Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement

Technical/Functional

Quality Assurance

Ability to perform administrative and procedural activities to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.

Knowledge Management:

Ability to capture, develop, share and effectively use information and knowledge.

Rights of persons with disabilities:

In-depth understanding of policy issues related to the rights of persons with disabilities.

Stakeholder Collaboration & Partnerships

Ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with other UN entities, development partners, donors, and relevant stakeholders.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Master's degree in social policy, public policy, politics, economics, development studies, human rights law, disability studies, psychology, sociology or a related area is required.

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience working with persons with disabilites on their rights and inclusion in a range of development settings is required.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in supporting monitoring and evaluation; knowledge management; resource mobilization; and capacity development is required.
• Strong analytical skills; and written and oral communication proficiency; are required.
• Knowledge of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD); and experience of working in the UN system are assets.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;

• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;

• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7 hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.

• This consultancy is a home-based and Office based assignment, therefore, the travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel should be included in your financial proposal.

• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation

  Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

  Criterion 1. A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience working with persons with disabilities on issues related to the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities in a range of development settings. Maximum Points: 20;

  Criterion 2. Strong analytical skills; and written and oral communication proficiency. Maximum Points: 15;
• Criterion 3. A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in supporting resource mobilization; monitoring and evaluation; knowledge management; and capacity development. Maximum Points: 15; and
• Interview: Maximum Points: 20

  Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top three shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

  Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

  Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

  The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

  p = y (µ/z), where

  p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

  y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

  µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

  z = price of the proposal being evaluated

   

  Contract Award

  Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

   

  Institutional arrangement

  The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Global Lead, Inclusive Processes and Institutions, BPPS; or as the Head of Governance in BPPS may otherwise direct. The individual will collaborate closely with the Head of the Organizational Effectiveness Unit in BMS/OHR and other UNDP units and teams globally. The consultant will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

  The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

   

  Payment modality

• Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made monthly based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.

• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7-hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

   

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.